Gezicht op Wassen in Uri, Zwitserland 1870 - 1890

Curator: This is Florentin Charnaux's gelatin silver print, "View of Wassen in Uri, Switzerland," created sometime between 1870 and 1890. What's your initial take on it? Editor: A striking scene. Those mountains almost cradle the village; it feels very much like a snapshot of nature enveloping humanity. There’s a clear juxtaposition between the looming, rugged landscape and the small, neat structures built within it. Curator: Precisely. Think of Switzerland at that time. The growth of tourism was massively influencing even remote areas. Photography played a pivotal role, presenting these grand landscapes as destinations, turning nature into a spectacle. Editor: So it’s about framing nature, but also selling it. The carefully placed buildings almost act as a mediator between us and the sublime terror of untouched nature. Curator: Exactly. Notice the infrastructure present - the road, and what appears to be a tunnel being constructed. The very act of documenting this vista through photography represents a similar conquering - not of nature itself, but of the perception of nature. It's about control and accessibility. Editor: Symbolically, the tunnel feels key here. It is a visual symbol of human effort, cutting through rock, the earth, a forceful disruption of nature’s flow. It's as if the tunnel and road represent an imposition of a kind, but also integration of nature and town. The darkness of that tunnel mouth contrasting against the lighter, village beyond – suggesting passage, transformation even? Curator: I'd say your observations chime perfectly with how imagery shaped public views. Landscapes like these weren't just pretty pictures; they fed into complex ideas of national identity and progress. Wassen became synonymous with Swiss precision, but the image hides as much as it shows about labor and exploitation. Editor: It reminds us how photographs often document not just what is present, but what’s being deliberately highlighted, and maybe also what’s hidden away or unseen by design. A really telling picture once you begin to deconstruct it. Curator: I think you've revealed that beneath the seemingly innocent surface lies a network of subtle cues that helped frame our relationship with nature, nation, and progress itself. Editor: And I'd suggest the next time someone looks at such photographs they would understand how much symbolism lies buried within.